Communism
by blueowls
Summary: Oneshot. Azula/Ty Lee/Mai-centric. //The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.//
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Hints of femmeslash.

**Author Note: **AU. Earth Kingdom is the one subjugating the Fire Nation.

**Communism**

_The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists._

Japanese proverb

The rising and falling mountains and the lush, verdant hillsides were mirrored in the still, glassy waters of the lake. Each beaten dirt road and each flooded rice paddy was doubled, and each person that walked by the lake's edge traveled their same path upside down in the water. The lake turned the rolling clouds of the powderblue sky upside down and sent the undulating branches of the trees diving to reach the water's depths.

Pushing aside the wall of elephant grass, the small girl wriggled past the foliage and stepped into the icy water. Mud squished and rose between her toes as the girl dug her feet into the sediment, burying her quickly numbed toes deep in the rich silt. Brown eyes closing lazily, she placed her hands on her waist and breathed out deeply, the cold breeze fluttering the ends of her long hair.

Two more small children slid through the elephant grass and to the water's edge, pushing each other out of the way and sliding precariously in the slick mud. The first child turned, eyes opening wide as her companions clambered into the water, their feet upsetting the still, glassy surface of the lake and sending the silt lake bottom into a swirling storm of mud and dirty water. The two latecomers grappled for dominance in the water before the second brunette gave up and ceded to the taller, paler child.

Sliding out of Mai's grip, Azula wriggled away and began to splash toward the center of the lake. Walking until the water reached the middle of her thighs, she turned back, her arched eyebrows and jaunty posture daring her friends to follow her out further. With a leap, Mai jumped and kicked her way through the deepening water until she stood next to Azula, reaching down into the water with cupped hands and sifting through the mud for stones and glass.

"Ty Lee, come on!" Azula shouted, small voice snapping the silence of the lake. She raised a hand and waved, smirking. With a shrug, Ty Lee calmly followed her two friends out into deeper water, though upon reaching the two of them she clung tightly to Mai's arm, the water already to her waist. Ty Lee smiled shyly as she looked up to Mai, sidling closer. Mai smiled back. Azula's eyes, however, were slowly following the phalanx of soldiers that marched down the beaten dirt road. She was as oblivious to her friends' rapport as the three of them had been of the soldiers during their play only moments before.

"Mai. Ty Lee," she said, a flicker of concern shading her voice. She tilted her head to the side, watching as the soldiers continued on, their uniforms and carriage the epitome of elegance and a show of nationalism that had been brutally crushed for generations. "Look."

Both girls looked up, eyes wide as the soldiers marched onward, headed in the direction of the occupied and far-off capitol.

"I want to do that when I grow up," Mai breathed quietly, eyes still trained on the soldiers. Azula nodded her agreement, but Ty Lee looked up at her, her features furrowing.

"You do?"

"Of course I do," Mai said matter-of-factly, shrugging Ty Lee off. She turned to Azula, and the other girl nodded.

"We both do," Azula said. "And you do too, Ty Lee."

"I do?" Ty Lee questioned, unsure. "Me--a soldier?"

"Of course!" Mai said, linking an arm through Ty Lee's. She did the same with Azula, who was decidedly less happy about it but allowed it nonetheless. She grinned. "We're all going to be soldiers, and one day, the Fire Nation will be free!"

"Oh," Ty Lee nodded, understanding only slightly better. "If you guys are going too, then I guess I will, too."

Azula broke away, splashing through the water and heading for the dirt road the last remaining soldiers were heading down. Mai nudged Ty Lee in the direction Azula was running in and gave her a small smile, pulling gently at her arm. "Come on! Let's follow her. Maybe we can meet some of the soldiers!"

Azula clambered up the embankment and onto the road, her feet leaving dripping prints as she ran to catch up with the last remaining soldiers. Reaching them, she fell back, walking stoically behind them and panting lightly. Mai and Ty Lee caught up with her and walked alongside Azula, smiles growing on their faces as they emulated the march of the trained soldiers. One woman broke away from the group and turned around, golden eyes smiling as she kneeled to the height of the three small children who crowded around her.

"You know who I am, right?" she asked. Azula, the boldest of the three, nodded.

"Of course. You're a Firebender, and you're defending the Fire Nation."

The woman nodded, and Azula smiled haughtily. "That's right. And you are too, aren't you?"

"Of course," Azula said. She motioned toward Mai and Ty Lee, who were still watching silently. "They aren't, though, but we're all going to become soldiers and defend the Fire Nation when we grow up!"

Mai nodded vigorously to back up her friend, but Ty Lee only stared warily at the soldier, eyeing her heavy armor and dirt-smudged face. The woman laughed aloud and tousled Azula's hair, her eyes narrowing as she stood. Reaching behind her head, she untied the narrow bloodred cloth band that ran across her forehead.

"That's a good and righteous goal," she said, handing the band to Azula. "You should continue it and serve our country, little ones." Turning, the woman began to walk back to her platoon. "The Fire Nation needs every liberator she can get."

Azula's eyes widened as Mai and Ty Lee crowded around her, touching the band reverently.

"Lucky," Ty Lee said as she reached out to stroke it, much more interested in the cloth itself than for what it stood for. Azula sniffed, eyes narrowing as she took it and placed it around her own head. Striking a firebending stance, she turned to her friends, fire in her eyes. "Let's promise that we're all going to be soldiers when we grow up!"

"Take down the Earth Kingdom imperialists!" Mai crowed, shoving Azula to one side. The two began to grapple on the ground, and Ty Lee stepped back, not eager to dirty her clothing or bruise her knees.

"If you guys do it, then I will, too," Ty Lee said.

"It's a deal, then?" Mai said from atop Azula's chest. She stuck out her hand to Azula, and after a moment's hesitation, the firebender took it and shook.

"Until the Fire Nation is free, then," Azula said, offering her own hand to Ty Lee. Ty Lee took it and grinned as the three of them solidified their pact.

…

Columns of smoke rose from the burning capitol and obscured the midday sky, searing the air and turning the sun a bloody red. Faint booms and thuds of toppling buildings and heaving earth rumbled throughout the city. Soldiers battled in the streets as civilians tried their best to escape the tumultuous city without getting caught in the crossfire and Earth Kingdom collaborators hanged themselves in their homes and bribed their way to the safer Fire Nation coasts. The rebels had taken the capitol, and the Fire Nation was no longer under the control of the Earth King. The people were taking back their country.

Two women in uniform made their way swiftly down the halls of the royal palace, ignoring the courtesans and servants that ran past them out the palace. One was tall and lean with pale, creamy skin and dark black hair pulled back in a low chignon, and the other woman was slightly smaller, with dark gold eyes and brown hair in an identical chignon. Both wore a simple red headband across their foreheads and crimson uniforms.

"Mai, have the soldiers search all the rooms," Azula ordered sternly. "The servants and whores can go, but I need you to keep anyone of any interest, anyone that could possibly had helped the imperialists subjugate our people for so long."

Mai nodded silently and did an about-face, heading back down the hallway to her waiting platoon. Azula continued on, eyes narrowed as she walked swiftly down the hall toward the throne room. Pushing open the great wooden doors, she strode into the huge room, face blank as she approached the small group of soldiers huddled near the throne. The soldiers parted and made room for the leader of the resistance as she approached the prisoners her soldiers held.

Sniffing contemptuously, Azula kicked out at the nearest prisoner, knocking her out of the hands of her soldiers and onto the hard marble floor. The woman whimpered as she hit the floor, curling quickly into a fetal position. Azula raised an eyebrow expectantly, and a willing soldier reached forward, taking the woman's hands and pinning them behind her back, forcing her up into a kneeling position. Head still down, the woman grew quiet and Azula turned away, her attention now focused on the second woman the soldiers held.

"So you're the pig that kept my people down for all these years," Azula said dangerously, a thin smile slipping across her face. The woman, richly dressed in fine armor and with the look of a seasoned warrior around her, kept her head down in the same fashion as her companion, defeated and dishonored. Azula sighed heavily, kneeled down, and withdrew a blade from her belt. Placing it under the woman's chin, she lifted the Earth Kingdom general's face, spitting into it contemptuously.

"Your actions are deplorable," Azula said loudly. She slid the blade tip down the general's throat until it pointing straight at her chest. She looked around at her soldiers lazily, taking note that Mai had joined them and was watching with a blank, unreadable face. "But worse yet, you lead one of my countrywomen astray. In the Fire Nation, every person works together to help each other. And you've led one of my people down a dark, traitorous path."

The blade slid back up to the middle of the general's throat, and Azula pressed the blade dangerously close to the skin. "And for that," she said slowly, her smile growing wider as the pressure on the general's throat increased, "You must be punished."

"Stop!" the restrained woman cried out, jerking against the soldiers that held her. "Don't hurt her! Please, I'll do anything!"

"Silence!" the dishonored general shouted abruptly, her head jerking in the direction of the woman. Her eye narrowed angrily. "Don't waste your breath on me, Ty Lee!"

Mai's eyes widened in disbelief, and Azula very nearly dropped her knife. Getting up and sheathing her blade, she walked over to the woman on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ty Lee?" Azula breathed incredulously. She laughed--a cold, mirthless sound. "Ty Lee. Is that really you?"

Ty Lee stayed still and silent until one of the soldiers kicked her roughly in her thigh.

"Yes," she whimpered, her head still bowed. Azula looked down her nose at her former comrade's limp form, disgust rising in her.

"You, promised soldier of the Fire Nation, whore to the Earth Kingdom general?" Azula asked haughtily, and Mai averted her eyes out of a sense of guilt and lingering loyalty to her former friend, knowing that she fully couldn't turn away. "Dressed in Earth Kingdom silk and pearls as your countrymen fight to rid our nation of such Earth Kingdom injustices? I would have never in my wildest dreams thought you'd turn traitor, although I did begin to suspect something when you lost contact with Mai and me two years ago."

Azula kneeled down and placed her fingertips under Ty Lee's chin, raising it up until she looked directly into Ty Lee's eyes. Ty Lee cringed and closed her eyes, and Azula leaned in close, her lips brushing against Ty Lee's ear.

"What were you feeding her?" Azula demanded quietly, her free hand sliding to Ty Lee's neck. "What did you talk about in bed after she fucked you, hm?" Her hand slid slowly down Ty Lee's front, fingernails trailing lightly against her delicate lilywhite skin and down the front of her expensive Earth Kingdom robes. "Lies? Rumors? Or…" She cupped a breast, squeezing it lightly and smiling as twin tears slid down her prisoner's cheeks. "Fire Nation secrets, perhaps?"

"Azula!" Mai said abruptly, stepping forward and executing a smart salute. Azula slowly turned toward her, a dangerous look in her eyes. Mai was highly away that she was interrupting Azula in front of her soldiers and quickly spoke up.

"My soldiers found the room they were keeping their war plans in. I have it being guarded at the moment," Mai offered, keeping her eyes forward and her posture immaculate.

Azula stood and considered the weight of Mai's words. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned her back to Mai, approached the general, reached down and slid her knife out and across the general's throat. She stepped back swiftly to avoid any blood and turned back to Mai, handing her her blade.

"I am leaving to inspect the plans. The sooner we can wipe out the rest of the Earth Kingdom soldiers, the better," Azula said, motioning for the soldiers to leave. All the soldiers including the one restraining Ty Lee promptly left the room, and she gave Mai one last instruction, her eyes narrowed to mere slits.

"You may get rid of Ty Lee in any way you please," she said flatly. "Dead or alive, I don't care. Just get her out of here and never let me see or hear of her again."

Turning to Ty Lee, she looked down her nose at her, disgusted. "In light of our past friendship and the work we completed together, at least up until the point where you decided to become a traitor to our cause," she said, her voice dropping to a mere whisper, "I leave it to Mai to decide what to do with you. Do not consider us friends any longer, and I never want to see you in the back in the Fire Nation again. Good-bye, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee stayed perfectly still until several minutes after Azula had left the room. With a cataclysmic sob, she began to cry, kneeling forward until her forehead touched the ground. Sinking down to the ground, Mai sat beside Ty Lee and took her into her arms, her chin resting lightly on top of Ty Lee's head as she cradled her old friend.

"Let's go," Mai said, stroking Ty Lee's hair slowly. "We need to get you out of here. Do you know anywhere you can go?"

"I can't come back," Ty Lee breathed softly. Mai paused and contemplated it, and then nodded slightly. Ty Lee pressed her face to Mai's neck, her lips brushing against Mai's skin. Mai's hand slid to the side of Ty Lee's thigh as Ty Lee placed another soft kiss just under her jaw and moved quickly to Mai's mouth. Mai ran her fingers through Ty Lee's hair, drawing Ty Lee closer as her hand slid between Ty Lee's legs, but Ty Lee pulled away, breaking Mai's hold with difficulty.

"The Earth Kingdom," Ty Lee finally whispered. Mai's eyes narrowed, and after a moment she nodded solemnly. They helped each other up and left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note:** Finished it up. Again. Might go on, not sure, but if I do, gonna introduce some new characters.

**Disclaimer:** None.

--

Ty Lee reached up and pulled the diadem out of her hair, the long sleeves of her robes sliding down her arms and pooling at the crooks of her elbows. Shaking her head, loose curls tumbled down her back, and she absentmindedly pushed her bangs out of her eyes, staring at her reflection in the mirror. The years in the sun and the open were only beginning to fade from her face. Her hands slid to her throat, touching the string of milky pearls resting warmly against her skin. Biting her lower lip, Ty Lee's fingers curled around the necklace. It was going to be hard to readjust to civilian life. It hurt her to think of the fine clothing and jewelry she was going to give up to rejoin Mai and Azula, but she still stood firm behind her ideals.

Reaching behind her neck, Ty Lee let out a slow breath as she unclasped the string of pearls and set the jewelry on the vanity top. Her hand resting atop the necklace, Ty Lee stood staring blankly at her reflection in the vanity mirror before she gathered her courage, reached for her arms, and slid bracelets and rings off of her wrists and fingers, dropping them onto the vanity top.

Getting up, she walked across the small room, picking up a lightweight sleeping robe left on the bed for her. Sliding out of her Earth Kingdom robes, she shrugged them to the floor, letting the silk pool around her ankles. Sliding the plain crimson robes around herself and tying the belt loosely around her waist, she turned back to her vanity, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Reaching to her right for a square of clean cloth, she opened the drawer in the dresser and pulled out a small black put. She took the top off, swabbed the cloth in it, and set the pot down on the top of the dresser. She leaned forward, eyes narrowing as she began to draw the cloth gently over her features, removing all traces of her two-year undertaking.

--

The few candles lit in the room flickered wanly, the wicks nearly consumed and throwing uneven shadows over the two women examining the map. It was well past midnight now, and the Earth Kingdom general's war room had been removed of any sign of Earth Kingdom ownership. Seized maps lay spread out over every available flat surface as Azula and Mai plotted their next move.

"We've driven most of the Earth Kingdom forces out," Azula said quietly, pointing to the Fire Nation on the large map spread out over the entire table. Mai nodded, her hands clasped behind her back as she leaned forward and examined the scroll. Azula's hand slid to the southernmost tip of the island, tapping it. The old parchment rustled softly, brittle.

"Our information says that those trying to flee the Fire Nation are waiting here for way to get back to their country. We'll send in soldiers tomorrow. With the general gone, we've cut the head off the snake. The few remaining forces will wither and die."

"What about Earth Kingdom civilians?" Mai asked, arching a slim eyebrow. Azula looked up, her amber eyes hard. "I understand the soldiers, but what of the innocents?"

"Collaborators," she corrected her friend, eyes narrowing. "They're collaborators. Not civilians. And most importantly, even if you disregard the semantics, they're not our people, Mai."

Mai nodded sharply, shutting her mouth. The decision rested badly on her conscience, but Azula's word was to be followed.

There was a gentle tapping at the door, and both women turned as it opened a mere second later. Such swift and confident impudence could only be perpetrated by one person. Ty Lee, more recognizable now in plainclothes than she had been previously, stepped forward with a deep bow to both Azula and Mai, hands clasped demurely in front of her.

"You called for me?"

"No need to bow, Ty Lee," Azula said warmly, gathering up the maps and rolling them tightly together. Motes of dust swirled in the air, and Mai backed away, a displeased look on her face. Tying a string around them, Azula handed the maps to Mai as Mai sought to catch Ty Lee's eye. But the other woman seemed intent on ignoring her, and was instead watching Azula's every move.

"Guard these tonight, please," Azula said with a quick wink. Obviously, Ty Lee was not to know of what was planned. "We'll discuss our course of action further tomorrow morning. We'll meet back here at dawn."

Mai nodded seriously, slipping the maps under her arm and throwing a quick salute before turning her back on Azula. She strode wordlessly past Ty Lee, who followed her with downcast eyes, and out the door.

_Not needed_, Mai thought to herself, eyes narrowing._ Not needed_. She set her jaw stubbornly as she made quick progress down the hall, the only noise audible her own muffled steps. Perhaps the two years' separation had altered their dynamics more than she or Azula had foreseen. Although Azula didn't seem to have a problem with it. Mai frowned as she slipped into the main hall. Eyes scanning the solumn hall, she picked her way gingerly through the darkened palace, not quite sure where she was headed. Restless with some emotion she couldn't put her finger on, she only knew that sleep would escape her tonight and that lying in bed for hours without a chance of sleep was not something she cared for tonight.

Regardless, she found herself walking automatically to a deserted room. With a defeated sigh, Mai entered and shut the door behind herself, sinking back against the door and tossing the maps haphazardly on the floor. Well furnished with extravagant furniture and elaborate decoration, the beauty of the place slipped past Mai, who angrily gave the maps an extra kick for good measure. They skidded across the floor and under a wardrobe, where Mai would have to fish them out tomorrow morning. Exhaling deeply, she splayed her palms back flat against the door, fingers drumming against the wood and thoughts racing. She felt like a string pulled taught, close to snapping with too much energy.

Mai reached in to her pocket, coming up with a single misshapen cigarette and a stubby match that she had been saving secretly for some time now. Lifting her foot, she struck the match against her heel and quickly lit the cigarette before the match burned her fingers and, with a muttered curse, she dropped it on the marble floor. Taking a deep drag, Mai held it until her vision swam, and then exhaled. There had been a time before Ty Lee had left when the three of them would have met together in some secluded hostel or bar away from the other soldiers and discussed amongst themselves, the information free to be shared between all three as they talked late into the night. The nights were well remembered where they ate their fill, smoked until the air grew hazy and gray, and drank tea laced with only the gods knew what.

Taking another drag, Mai wandered aimlessly over to the windows, opening them and attempting to fan most of the smoke outside despite the fact that no one would care after tonight what happened to the palace.

Night well remembered, yes, and now long past.

--

Azula kissed the back of Ty Lee's neck lightly, an arm curling possessively over her waist and pulling her closer. Ty Lee did nothing, neither encouraging nor stopping the other woman. Azula's hand rested flat against her stomach, eerily hot to the touch under the cool sheets.

"What else?" Azula murmured, placing a kiss on her shoulder, and another following it in a trail that followed the curve of her neck.

"The Avatar," Ty Lee said simply.

The kisses stopped.

"The found him?"

Ty Lee shook her head, turning over and accepting Azula's arms around her. "No. But it's been rumored among the higher-ups that he's allied himself with an Earthbender and several others. The Earth Kingdom was going to use him to their advantage, lure him to their side, that sort of thing. Convince him theirs was the just cause, the Fire Nation was evil, things of that nature. Generic Earth Kingdom propaganda. They may still succeed. They've lost their bases here, but that doesn't mean they won't try again. And with the Avatar on their side, we can't win."

"_If_ they manage to convince him," Azula murmured, kissing Ty Lee again. "Don't you think?"

"Yes," Ty Lee agreed half-heartedly. "That may be true, but why would he chose our side?"

Azula placed a finger to Ty Lee's mouth, quieting her.

"Leave that to me."

--

Zuko stood at the top of the low cliffs, silently watching the Earth Kingdom refugees and soldier's makeshift camp. No fires had been lit, and guards were posted intermittently around the periphery of the camp. Fruitless gestures. They thought they had outrun him and settled on the shore to await the Earth Kingdom ships that would be coming in the morning. The only thing Zuko was waiting for was his sister's orders.

And upon hearing the melodious tinkle of a hawk's bells, he was almost certain that he would receive the go-ahead. In some respects, his sister was entirely predictable. Gloved arm outstretched, Zuko felt the familiar weight of the hawk press down and the pressure of its talons clenching his arm. Stroking it lightly under the chin, the bird held out its leg, and Zuko released it from its burden.

Taking the scroll and ducking back inside the tent, he lit a small oil lamp on the makeshift table and swung his arm around to the bird's perch. Obediently, it shifted from his arm to the stand, and tucked its head under its wing. Setting the scroll on the table and bring the lamp closer, Zuko strained to read his sister's writing. They couldn't afford extra light and make their presence known before, but if the scroll contained what he thought it would, then keeping fires to a minimum would no longer be a problem.

Zuko's face broke into a smile, and he strode quickly outside, the scroll crumpled in his hand. The two guards posted at the entrance of the tent turned and saluted stiffly as he strode out of the tent.

"We move in an hour," Zuko said. "Tell them to make ready, sharpen instruments, and prepare to give no quarter. Go!"

The two guards saluted and departed to execute orders. Zuko, meanwhile, turned back to the tent to prepare, but not before looking down at the scroll in his hand. He paused, thinking, and then clenched his first, crumpling the paper as its edges singed and began to burn, leaving no trace of a scroll ever existing save a few ashes that drifted slowly to the ground.


End file.
